Tim Blair
–,
Monday,
March,
01,
2010,(2:19am)

A mature democracy should have the courage and the understanding to see the debt it owes its artists …

If only we were brave enough to pay them even more.

The benefits of the arts are such a no-brainer, so obvious, that the sole genuine reason for cuts is censorship of some form. In the 20th century, the only governments to systematically attack the arts have been the ones that also attacked democracy.

By “systematically attack”, he means “reduce public funding”.

Yet the most profound argument for art runs much deeper than any of this. Art, very simply, is how we comment on our world, how we …

Dear God, I do believe he’s actually going to say it:

… speak truth to power.

While I’m speaking vomit to carpet, please visit David Thompson for a far more comprehensive review of Holmes’s pleading. In other news of our superiors, James Campbell joins the queue of those taking exception to the views of Cate Blanchett.

Tim Blair
–,
Sunday,
February,
28,
2010,(4:54am)

Once they were the government’s weapons against climate change. But now:

An eagle-eyed Banner reader alerted us to these bags of insulation which she found dumped along Hoppers Lane in Werribee last week. Wyndham Council acting chief executive Bernie Cronin said it had collected 80 from numerous locations around the city on Friday. On the same day, the Federal Government announced it had scrapped its home insulation rebate scheme. Mr Cronin said those caught illegally dumping rubbish could face fines of up to $4000.

Unless they dumped it in people’s roofs as part of the Rudd government’s insulation scheme. Then they actually got paid.

UPDATE VI. Toll up to 122. In Hawaii: “Even before daybreak, lines formed at supermarkets with residents stocking up on water, canned food and batteries. Cars lined up 15 deep at several gas stations.”

UPDATE VII: “People on Australia’s east coast are being warned to stay away from beaches this morning after warnings of a possible tsunami.” Fifty countries are currently on tsunami alert.

Low Profile says: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-30/-40-oil-may-force-russia-into-an-emergency-rate-hike-economists-say Saudi Arabia does what the US cannot. Deknacker Russia Economy and their Military Machine in less than a year.…